Along with strolling through Graffiti Alley, Brit’s other request for her birthday getaway weekend was to visit Ripley’s Aquarium in downtown Toronto. The aquarium was a great addition to the tourist scene in Toronto, and after visiting, I would highly recommend you see it at least once.

For my friend Brit’s 30th birthday, she wanted to celebrate with a girls’ weekend trip to Toronto. It ended up being a pretty chill weekend, complete with two sight-seeing adventures, a shopping trip to the Eaton centre, and a birthday night out at a bar!

2017 brought about a few massive changes, including a few emotional turning points in my life. Highs included my dad’s surgery yielding the best result possible, an amazing girls’ trip around Eastern Canada with Brit, and finding myself getting to spend more time with family. Lows included saying a heartbreaking farewell to our family dog, a truly beautiful spirit whose loss was devastating, and the self-realization that I was letting my happiness in life fade. Smack dab in the middle, complete with highs and lows – moving.

Looking back on my adventures, I’ve selected my ten favourite pictures I took in 2017. The pictures are in chronological order and – quick side note – not all were technically taken by me (thanks Brit!).

Every once in awhile, you hit upon an idea for the perfect birthday present for someone and it feels like you just struck gold. This was definitely the case when my sister and I brainstormed for the perfect gift for our mom on a very special birthday (I’m about 99.9999% sure she wouldn’t want me to mention her age here, so… you’re welcome, Mom!) – a surprise family birthday party weekend that included a tour of her favourite wine company – Jackson-Triggs!

What to do as a Harry Potter fan who lives in Ontario, Canada, far away from either the Universal Parks or the Studio Tour? Attend Ontario-based festivals and performances! Once again, I got the opportunity to explore another way to celebrate my love of Harry Potter – this time by attending two Ontario-based festivals and a two-man skit performance. I have to confess the festivals didn’t live up to my expectations, but there were still aspects that were enjoyable. On the plus side? The two-man performance honestly blew me away. With that mildly optimistic and positive introduction, let’s get to it!